Scottish Executive

Justice

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 with regard to the incorrect shoeing of horses in each of the last five years.

Mrs Elish Angiolini: Section 1 of the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 specifies numerous offences of cruelty towards animals. None of these offences relate specifically to the incorrect shoeing of horses. While such a procedure may, in certain circumstances, fall within the terms of a section 1 offence, the information system used by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service does not record the specific details of any such offence. This system is designed primarily as a case tracking system, and it has not been designed to facilitate the extraction of such detailed information about the facts of individual cases.

Public Bodies

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive where the proposed new transport agency will be located.

Nicol Stephen: Ministers will, in the normal manner, review the location of the proposed national transport agency in due course.

Schools

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made regarding South Lanarkshire Council's proposals for the reorganisation of its secondary school provision.

Peter Peacock: I hope to be in a position to announce decisions shortly on those South Lanarkshire school reorganisation proposals for which the council have applied for the consent of the Scottish ministers.

Scottish Enterprise

Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a decision has been reached on the appointment of a new chair of Scottish Enterprise.

Mr Jim Wallace: The First Minister has appointed Sir John Ward as the new chair of Scottish Enterprise. Sir John, who is currently chair of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), will take up post on 14 February for a period of three years. Sir John has extensive and high level experience in industry and in skills development.

  The Scottish Executive will now start the process to appoint a successor to Sir John Ward at the SQA.